Learning Centers Policies

• Current students in developmental and introductory general education courses have priority for drop-in and online services and resources. Staff will do their best to assist students in other classes if time, staff expertise, and resources permit. 

• Online tutoring is available to current FCC students only.  

• Former FCC students may request one drop-in session on campus per week. Current students have priority, so services for alumni are not guaranteed. 

• Any non-FCC work will be considered a community visit and thus limited to one session per week on it regardless of the student's FCC status. FCC work has priority, so services for non-FCC work are not guaranteed. 

• Workshops are open to all current students in any course.

Before your tutoring session:

• Look over your assignment and make an attempt at starting it on your own. 
• Gather any class notes, books, assignment sheets, and syllabi that are relevant to your assignment and bring them to the session. 
• If this is an online FCC tutoring session, make sure you check the appointment date and time and set a reminder for yourself (you can find some great tools for this here). For steps on how to schedule/join an online schedule, go here. Watch this video if you are unfamiliar with how Zoom works.

During your tutoring session:

• Keep your phone on silent and minimize distractions.
• Stay engaged by listening carefully, taking notes, and asking questions.

After your tutoring session:

• Follow through with any "next steps" your tutor suggested, such as revisions to your paper or practice of the concepts discussed.
• Come back for another tutoring session if you have more questions or need additional help.

Tutoring & Writing Center 

• Drop-in tutoring sessions on campus are conducted one-on-one and last up to 45 minutes.  Students are seen by tutors on a first come, first served basis. Small groups can be accommodated by request.  

• American Sign Language tutoring is conducted in small groups to better facilitate language acquisition. 

• Students can drop in for in-person assistance as much as their schedule permits.   

STEM Learning Center 

• Drop-in tutoring on campus is conducted in small groups. Students from the same or similar course are grouped at a table; a tutor is available to help guide students to better understand concepts/homework/projects/chapters. Students will notice tutors “floating” around the center, assisting several different students in any given hour. Students at the same table will be encouraged to work together and help each other.  Students are seen by tutors on a first come, first served basis.

• One-on-one tutoring sessions cannot be guaranteed unless required by a Student Success Plan. 

• Students can drop-in for assistance as much as their schedule permits.   

Online Tutoring  

• FCC Online Tutoring/Coaching sessions are offered by appointment and are conducted by FCC tutors over Zoom. Sessions last up to one hour and are one-on-one, except for ASL, which is done in groups.

• Students are allotted 1 online tutoring session per course, per calendar day. 

• Three no-show online appointments may lead to loss of services for the rest of the semester. Click here for instructions on how to cancel your online appointment

• In-House Writing Center: Upload a document and receive e-mailed feedback on organization, thesis, grammar, formatting, and more. Papers are reviewed by FCC tutors and returned within 48 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays. Instructions for paper submission can be found here.

• Depending on course, ThinkingStorm Online Tutoring is another option for students who can't fit FCC tutoring in their schedule. Sessions are conducted via chat and are available 24/7. Drop in sessions are available, depending on course. Students are allotted 15 total hours of ThinkingStorm Online Tutoring per semester. Students who exceed the limit will receive an email explaining how to request additional hours; hours beyond the limit are not guaranteed. 

• Staff will not give answers, do homework, or edit papers. 

• Staff will not re-teach content from missed classes; tutoring sessions do not replace going to class. (Go to class!) 

• Staff cannot help students take tests or quizzes, except when faculty grant exceptions in writing and share these in advance with coordinator or director. 

Learning center staff have priority use of computers and study rooms.

Accommodation Statement:

Frederick Community College makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities for College-sponsored events and programs. If you have accommodation needs or questions, please call 301-846-2408. To request a sign language interpreter or if you have questions related to interpreting services, please email Interpreting@frederick.edu or call 301-846-2408. Sign language interpreters will not be automatically provided for College-sponsored events without a request for services. To guarantee accommodations, requests must be made at least five workdays in advance of a scheduled event.  

For current guidelines for computer use, studying, and printing in the Learning Commons, see our Use of Space Guidelines.

For library services, go to: www.frederick.edu/library